CTV buying options for local advertisers have exploded, but the gap between what is available and what most local brands understand about the space is still wide. Self-service platforms now let a local auto dealer buy premium video the same way they buy Meta. Third-party attribution can connect media spend to actual sales. Geographic targeting can reach a specific neighborhood. The tools exist. The question is whether local advertisers know to ask for them.
Laura Brandano-Lauta is VP of Market Retail, Large Agency & Inside Sales at Comcast Advertising, which sells advertising across Comcast's video, streaming, and digital properties. She has spent nearly 30 years on the sales side of video advertising, progressing through account executive, general manager, and director roles before leading sales across retail, agency, and inside sales channels.
"Local advertisers now have access to what the big guys have had, and they're able to do it on their own, which is a big deal," says Brandano-Lauta.
Brandano-Lauta describes the current CTV landscape as broad, fragmented, and difficult for marketers to navigate. The range of options runs from low-CPM FAST channels with minimal reporting to premium inventory with full attribution, geographic targeting, and audience segmentation. For local advertisers without dedicated media teams, telling the difference is the hard part.
"Sometimes in this space you think you're getting a good deal, but the reality is it might not be the best deal," Brandano-Lauta says. "You don't want your ad running near something that's not a great brand for you. And if you don't know where things are actually being placed, you could get into trouble." She recommends that advertisers always ask about reporting capabilities, brand safety, and what data they will actually receive before committing spend.
Brandano-Lauta sees the industry moving toward a point where advertisers will not accept media spend that cannot be connected to business outcomes.
"Don't be afraid to bring your own data and push the client to bring some of their sales data to say, 'Did this actually do something for me?'" Brandano-Lauta says. She describes partnerships with third-party attribution providers that connect media spend to outcomes like dealership traffic and direct sales, and points to clean room environments where advertisers can match their sales data against campaign performance. "Being able to actually see how you're attributing media spend to bottom-line results is going to be a non-negotiable."
The shift Brandano-Lauta emphasizes most is that local advertisers can now access the same measurement capabilities large agencies have used for years. A local business can buy a specific geographic zone, layer in audience targeting, and use third-party partners to measure performance against actual sales. "From a local standpoint, advertisers have never been able to get access to what large ad agencies have been doing for years," she says. "Now they're able to make better decisions and maximize their budgets."
Brandano-Lauta identifies creative as the most common mistake local advertisers make when they move into targeted CTV. One ad running everywhere does not work when the targeting becomes specific.
She uses an auto dealer as the example. "Maybe it's a branding spot, or they want to talk about new cars. But the reality is they really want to target this particular area for service," she says. "That service ad needs to be different for that particular audience." The more targeted the buy, the more the creative needs to vary to match.
Brandano-Lauta points to AI as the tool that makes creative variation feasible at a local level. "At your fingertips, you can take that brand spot and turn it into a service spot," she says. The ability to produce audience-specific creative without a full production cycle removes one of the biggest barriers that kept local advertisers locked into generic messaging. Combined with audience-first targeting and outcome measurement, it closes the loop between spend and results.
Brandano-Lauta expects the CTV ecosystem to consolidate over time, but warns that the near term will get more complicated before it simplifies. "It's going to get a little messy before it gets better," she says. Her advice for local advertisers navigating the next 12 months: educate yourself on what is available, ask harder questions about reporting and placement, and stop treating the lowest CPM as the best value.
"As a marketer, make sure you're educating yourself and being smart about how you spend your dollars," Brandano-Lauta says. "The future is now. Cheapest is not always best. Always ask how you can get better reporting to make better informed decisions."
